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chin, the turn of which was very sensitive and graceful. His complexion was naturally fair and delicate, with a color in the cheeks. He had brown hair, which, though tinged with gray, surmounted his face well, being in considerable quantity, and tending to a curl. His side-face, upon the whole, was deficient in strength, and his features would not have told well in a bust; but when fronting and looking at you attentively his aspect had a certain seraphical character that would have suited a portrait of John the Baptist, or the angel whom Milton describes as holding a reed "tipt with fire." Nor would the most religious mind, had it known him, have objected to the comparison; for, with all his skepticism, Shelley's disposition was truly said to have been anything but irreligious. A person of much eminence for piety in our times. has well observed, that the greatest want of religious feeling is not to be among the greatest infidels, but among those who never think of religion except as a matter of course. The leading feature of Shelley's character may be said to have been a natural piety. He was pious towards nature, towards his friends, towards the whole human race, towards the meanest insect of the forest. He did himself an injustice with the public in using the popular name of the Supreme Being inconsiderately. He identified it solely with the most vulgar and tyrannical notions of a God made after the worst human fashion; and did not sufficiently reflect that it was often used by a juster devotion to express a sense of the great Mover of the universe. An impatience in contradicting worldly and pernicious notions of a supernatural power led his own aspirations to be misconstrued; for though, in the severity of his dialectics, and particularly in moments of despondency, he sometimes appeared to be hopeless of what he most desired - and though he justly thought that a Divine Being would prefer the increase of benevolence and good before any praise, or even recognition of himself (a reflection worth thinking of by the intolerant), yet there was in reality no belief to which he clung with more fondness than that of some great pervading "Spirit of Intellectual Beauty"; as may be seen in his aspirations on that subject. He assented warmly to an opinion which I expressed in the cathedral at Pisa, while the organ was playing, that a truly divine religion

might yet be established, if charity were really made the principle of it, instead of faith.

Music affected him deeply. He had also a delicate perception of the beauties of sculpture. It is not one of the least evidences of his conscientious turn of mind that, with the inclination and the power to surround himself in Italy with all the graces of life, he made no sort of attempt that way; finding other uses for his money, and not always satisfied with himself for indulging even in the luxury of a boat. When he bought elegancies of any kind it was to give them away. Boating was his great amusement. He loved the mixture of action and repose which he found in it; and delighted to fancy himself gliding away to Utopian isles and bowers of enchantment. But he would give up any pleasure to do a deed of kindness. Indeed, he may be said to have made the whole comfort of his life a sacrifice to what he thought the wants of society.

Temperament and early circumstances conspired to make him a reformer, at a time of life when few begin to think for themselves; and it was his misfortune, as far as immediate reputation was concerned, that he was thrown upon society with a precipitancy and vehemence which rather startled others with fear for themselves, than allowed them to become sensible of the love and zeal that impelled him. He was like a spirit that had darted out of its orb, and found itself in another world. I used to tell him that he had come from the planet Mercury. When I heard of the catastrophe that overtook him it seemed as if this spirit, not sufficiently constituted like the rest of the world to obtain their sympathy, yet gifted with a double portion of love for all living things, had been found dead in a solitary corner of the earth, its wings stiffened, its warm heart cold; the relics of a misunderstood nature, slain by the ungenial elements.

ABOU BEN ADHEM

ABOU BEN Adhem may his tribe increase!
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight in his room,

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Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An angel writing in a book of gold.

Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the presence in the room he said:

"What writest thou?" The vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord,

Answered: "The names of those who love the Lord." "And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"

Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerily still: and said, "I pray thee then,
Write me as one that loves his fellow-men."
The angel wrote and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blest,
And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.

RONDEAU

JENNY kiss'd me when we met,
Jumping from the chair she sat in;

Time, you thief, who love to get

Sweets into your list, put that in:

Say I'm weary, say I'm sad,

Say that health and wealth have miss'd me, Say I'm growing old, but add,

Jenny kiss'd me.

VII. - 15

HENRIK IBSEN

HENRIK IBSEN, one of the foremost of modern dramatists. Born in Skien, Norway, March 20, 1828; died, 1907. Among other works, he is the author of "A Doll's House," "Peer Gynt," "Emperor and Galilean," "The Pillars of Society," "Love's Comedy," "Ghosts," "An Enemy of the People," "The Wild Duck," "The Lady from the Sea," "Architect Solness," "Rosmersholm," "Hedda Gabbler," and "The Master Builder."

(From "A DOLL'S HOUSE." Copyright, 1906, by Charles Scribner's Sons.)

SUMMARY OF ACTS I AND II

The scene throughout the play is laid in the sitting room of HELMER'S flat in Christiania. It is Christmas time.

ACT I

Nora, the leading character, is an irresponsible child-wife. Helmer is her mediocre husband, who after several years of struggle has at last become a bank manager. They have been married for eight years, during which time they have had three children.

Mrs. Linden, a widow who calls on them, is an old school friend of Nora's. She married a rich man, against her inclination, to save her mother and brothers from want.

While Helmer is out of the room, Nora explains with pride that she has saved her husband's life by taking him to Italy after a serious illness. Mrs. Linden then inquires how she obtained the money. Nora hints mysteriously that she borrowed it.

During this conversation Krogstad, an employee in Helmer's bank, who is a widower and a former lover of Mrs. Linden's, calls to see Helmer. Doctor Rank, a victim of inherited spinal complaint and an intimate friend of the family, also calls. He and Helmer go out together. Mrs. Linden also leaves after Nora has succeeded in persuading Helmer to give her a position in the bank.

The three children now come in and romp with Nora. During their play Krogstad returns and inquires threateningly if Mrs.

Linden is to have his position. He then explains to her that this place means to him not merely money but reinstatement in society. He also points out that Nora has borrowed money from him in exchange for a note of hand which she indorsed with her father's signature. She says in explanation of her forgery that her father was ill, so that he could not attend to the matter, and that he would certainly have indorsed the note had he been well. She is plainly unconscious of crime, but Krogstad nevertheless threatens to lay the matter before her husband and furthermore to ruin them unless he retains his position. He then leaves.

Helmer returns and chats with Nora about the fancy ball which is to take place the following evening. Nora is distrait, then talks with him about Krogstad. Helmer explains that Krogstad lost his position in society through a forgery committed heedlessly perhaps, but none the less an atrocious crime. He goes on to speak very strongly of the contaminating influence of such a criminal in a home. He then retires. Nora stands horrified.

ACT II

Nora begs Helmer to take back Krogstad. Helmer definitely refuses. Doctor Rank then arrives and Helmer retires. Rank avows his love for Nora, so that, as a loyal wife, she feels the impossibility of asking a loan from him as she had intended. He goes into the other room to see Helmer. Krogstad arrives and after some argument leaves a note in the letter-box containing Nora's forgery. Mrs. Linden comes. Nora explains the situation to her, whereupon she at once departs to try to win over Krogstad. Helmer enters and is going to open the letter-box, but Nora holds his attention by dancing as if rehearsing for the fancy ball. She becomes quite hysterical, so that Helmer is alarmed and forgets the letter-box completely. Mrs. Linden returns to say that Krogstad has left the town.

ACT THIRD

The same room. The table, with the chairs around it, in the middle. A lighted lamp on the table. The door to the hall stands open. Dance music is heard from the floor above.

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